Patch 7.1 news continues with a spotlight on the Smoldering Ember Wyrm mount, details on improved rewards for PvP in 7.1, and Blizzard's own Karazhan preview and teaser trailer. For more information about Karazhan, check out our Return to Karazhan Guide.

The original Nightbane required an elaborate questline to summon, culminating in Blackened Urn, so it would make sense that new Karazhan would feature a twist on this boss. Several of the datamined ilvl 875 loot reference the old Nightbane Encounter:

The loot from this final boss starts at ilvl 875, unlike the loot from the rest of the instance which starts at ilvl 855. It features relics, a trinket, and chests which are "empowered" when a Karazhan trinket is equipped.

Blizzard's Karazhan Preview

Blizzard posted their own Karazhan preview; in it they talk about eight bosses and highlight a new teaser trailer. However, past dev talks on Karazhan mentioned nine bosses, and as we posted above, there's some evidence to support speculation that Nightbane is the 9th boss.

Blizzard

From the moment of its mysterious creation, the purpose of this dark tower has been intertwined with the history of the Guardians of Tirisfal, once Azeroth’s greatest bulwark against the Legion. It is now best known as the home of Medivh, who tragically betrayed Azeroth and brought the unbroken chain of Guardians to an end. This legacy makes Karazhan a place of particular interest for the Legion, who have descended in full force in an effort to open a new front in their war on the denizens of Azeroth.

It’s been some time since the heroes of Azeroth have been called into the halls of Karazhan to do battle with the evils within, but a return was inevitable with so many secrets left undiscovered.A Return to KarazhanReturn to Karazhan in Legion will provide a new 5-player experience for those who are familiar with the Burning Crusade10- player Raid dungeon. Once the seat of power of Medivh, the last Guardian of Tirisfal, each stone and stair is imbued with untold power. It is this power that has lured the Burning Legion into its halls and Medivh’s servant, Moroes has been happy to throw open the doors in the hope that his master will be returning soon.

Inside the tower, players will discover a variety of new challenges to face from both familiar and new bosses to fight along with a few new tales to experience within the infamous Opera Hall. But, before you can waltz through the doors, you’ll need to complete an attunement by working with Khadgar to thwart Gul’dan’s latest plans.Gul’dan’s been sending secret orders to high-ranking demons found within the darkest recesses of the Broken Isles and Khadgar is going to need you to intercept them. But this is just the start of your adventure. You’ll need to face down the God-King Skovald within Mythic Halls of Valor along with three more of Gul’dan’s demons. With all the clues at hand, Khadgar will learn a deadly truth that will send adventurers into the haunted tower of Kharazhan. Facing a gauntlet of enemies old and new, only the most seasoned heroes have any hope to survive and foil the Legion's plan.This is a large dungeon with a raid-like feel in which players will want to revisit as they work their way through. To allow time to do this, the dungeon will have a 1-week lockout timer which will provide players the time they need to work their way through and claim their new loot.Developer Insights: As a development team, whenever we’ve discussed updating or revisiting legacy content over the years, Karazhan has been in the forefront of those conversations, but there had never been any clear connection to the current expansion until now. Given the history of the Guardian’s tower, it felt like a natural fit for the Legion’s interest, as well as giving us a chance to offer a 5-player dungeon experience on a scale not seen since Blackrock Depths. In approaching Return to Karazhan, we wanted to offer equal parts nostalgia and surprise. The lower portions of the tower are preserved largely as they were in 2007, though the spawning and boss encounter mechanics have been entirely revamped. But once players ascend past the Curator’s doorway and enter the library, things become… different. Within a sorcerer’s tower, reliable rules such as gravity and spatial proportion don’t always apply. And who knows what secrets such a place may hold?Minimum Level: 110Location: Deadwind PassBosses: 8Difficulty: MythicMaiden of Virtue: Arriving in Karazhan to cleanse the tower of vice and corruption, the titan watcher was infuriated by Medivh’s infamous parties and debaucheries. As her crusade for virtue seeks converts to her cause, the Maiden remains committed to purging immorality using all the powers at her disposal.Opera Hall: Wikket: Are villains born evil, or do they fall into wickedness due to the influence of others? Perhaps considering this quandary from the ozen point of view will offer enlightenment…Opera Hall: Westfall Story: Amidst the carnage of rival gangs battling for the turf of Westfall, two lovers from very different worlds fight for happiness. It is said that love is blind… but does it also need a translator?Opera Hall: Beautiful Beast: Cursed to take the form of a beastly monster, Brute must find true love before he loses his life to the dark magic that transformed him. Will he learn proper table manners in time to win the heart of the fair Bella?

Attumen the Huntsman: Once charged with hunting game for his master’s feasts, Attumen now sets his sights on a very different kind of quarry. Ever wary of those seeking to steal his famed steed, Midnight, Attumen unleashes his well-honed fighting skills against all intruders.Moroes: Moroes, the steward of Karazhan, dotes upon his master’s dinner guests within the grand Banquet Hall. Eternally devoted to care of the tower, he dispatches impolite party crashers with cruel efficiency.The Curator: The Curator safeguards the Menagerie from unwelcome guests, terminating trespassers who seek to plunder the secrets of Karazhan. Though assembled by Medivh himself, the guardian construct has deteriorated over time, becoming prone to energy overloads and erratic behavior.

Shade of Medivh: So great was the power of the last Guardian, Medivh, that his magic still echoes through the halls of Karazhan. Some of these echoes take the shape of visions, revealing past events to the tower’s guests. Others assume more malevolent forms, recalling a time when the Guardian’s will was not his own.Mana Devourer: Rarely does the sight of a mana wyrm cause a seasoned adventurer concern. These small, simple creatures float about, consuming stray pockets of arcane energy. But in Karazhan, tables are often turned, and what at first glance appears harmless may be revealed as an enormous threat.

Viz’aduum the Watcher: The all-seeing Viz’aduum was commanded by Kil’jaeden to capture Karazhan and tap into the tendrils of ley energy woven through the tower. Should he succeed in anchoring the structure to the myriad of worlds held by the Legion, the Dark Titan’s army will overrun Azeroth and leave little more than a smoldering husk.

PvP Rewards in 7.1

Blizzard is implementing some PvP Reward changes for Patch 7.1! They include:

Increased Artifact Power Rewards

The Honor reward for your first Skirmish, 2v2 Arena, 3v3 Arena, and Rated Battleground is twice that of subsequent victories.

Every Battleground or Rated Battleground victory will reward a piece of gear.

Each bracket of rated PvP (2v2, 3v3, Rated Battlegrounds) has a weekly quest that rewards items based on your best rating from the previous week.

Blizzard

With Patch 7.1: Return to Karazhan arriving on October 25, we wanted to share some updates on PvP rewards from Battlegrounds, Skirmishes, Arenas, and Rated Battlegrounds. Like many of the players we’ve heard from over the last few weeks, we’ve identified areas where PvP rewards could be more satisfying. Along the way, we made a few changes through hotfixes, but we can do much more in a full content patch.

Artifact Power

Soon after players began exploring the Broken Isles, we recognized the incredible impact that Artifact Power has as a reward mechanism. While PvP already rewards Artifact Power, it isn't clear how much Artifact Power you might get from doing a particular PvP activity, which might have made some players reluctant to participate. To address that, Artifact Power rewards have been increased for PvP in Patch 7.1, and the user interface will now show you exactly how much you'll receive for a victory.

First Victory of the Day Bonus

The Honor reward for your first Random Battleground victory of the day has always been twice that of subsequent victories. In Patch 7.1, we've extended that bonus to all of the other brackets in PvP: Skirmishes, 2v2 Arenas, 3v3 Arenas, and Rated Battlegrounds. Furthermore, in addition to bonus Honor, your first victory of the day will also reward a large Artifact Power bonus. This means big rewards for players who participate in a variety of PvP formats each day.Here are examples of Honor and Artifact Power rewards for each bracket, including first-of-the-day bonus rewards:

Activity

Honor

Artifact Power

Artifact Power (at Artifact Knowledge 10)

Skirmish Win (First of the Day)

160

100

950

Skirmish Win

80

25

238

Random BG Win (First of the Day)

300

400

3800

Random BG Win

150

200

1900

2v2 Win (First of the Day)

200

120

1150

2v2 Win

100

40

380

3v3 Win (First of the Day)

200

180

1700

3v3 Wins

100

60

570

Rated BG Win (First of the Day)

600

800

7600

Rated BG Win

300

400

3800

Gear from PvP

While the impact of gear in Battlegrounds and Arenas in Legion is different from past expansions, we still believe it’s important for endgame activities to reward items. In Patch 7.1, every Battleground or Rated Battleground victory will reward a piece of gear. Losses will also have a chance to reward gear based on the final score of the match, and Skirmish and Arena victories will have an increased chance to drop gear. This gear will has a chance to roll up with the possible bonuses you’re used to, including Warforged, Titanforged, socketed, and with tertiary stats.Our initial approach for Legion has been to have the item level of gear rewards from PvP increase with your Honor Level. However, the way this works hasn’t been obvious to players, and it resulted in the unfortunate circumstance where some players tried out PvP only after gearing up elsewhere—and were disappointed by the PvP rewards. In Patch 7.1, we've transitioned PvP gear rewards to more closely mirror the type of item level progression you see from World Quests. This means PvP should feel as rewarding as other parts of the game that offer high replay value.

Weekly Bonus Gear from Rated PvP

Previously, your first victory in each rated bracket of PvP (2v2, 3v3, Rated Battlegrounds) rewarded a piece of gear based on your current PvP rating. This wasn’t ideal. Often, players didn’t know what item level reward gear would offer before participating. Winning a single game represents a fairly insignificant amount of effort for a piece of high item level gear, especially considering this gear has the potential to rival the best items from raids or Mythic Keystone dungeons. The decision to use your current PvP rating also discouraged players from doing anything that might result in their rating going down. For example, if you've just had an amazing run in Arenas, you may decide to stop trying to improve your rating, or you might be reluctant to put your rating on the line with a less-skilled friend who just logged in.In Patch 7.1, each bracket of rated PvP (2v2, 3v3, Rated Battlegrounds) has a weekly quest that rewards items based on your best rating from the previous week. The quests for Arena brackets will require 10 wins, and the quests for the Rated Battleground bracket require four wins. Below a rating of 2000, these quests will always reward a piece of gear with the current season's Gladiator appearance. Above 2000 rating, these quests will always reward a piece of gear with the current season's Elite appearance. Again, you’ll always see the item level of the gear you’ll receive in the tooltip of the weekly quest.Here is an example listing of the rating-to-item level breakdown for Season 1:

Last Week's Rating

Base Item Level

Appearance

0 - 1399

840

Gladiator

1400 - 1599

850

Gladiator

1600 - 1799

860

Gladiator

1800 - 1999

865

Gladiator

2000 - 2199

870

Elite

2200 - 2399

875

Elite

2400+

880

Elite

We hope you'll find all of this information useful as we head into Patch 7.1: Return to Karazhan. We want PvP to be a compelling activity for all World of Warcraft players, and we want to make sure it rewards those who commit extra time and effort to the competitive side of the game.

Comments

Comment by darkelemental1

on 2016-10-19T17:45:03-05:00

They really need to buff Mark of Honor drops. Its the only reason I pvp and as it stands its so RNG that I can go multiple wins without one all while making the experience worse for everyone with my terrible PvP skills.

Comment by Aeliel

on 2016-10-19T18:10:32-05:00

I honestly just came here to see if they'd buffed Mark of Honor drops, because like the comment before mine says, that's the only reason I PVP, to collect the appearances. I understand there needs to be some sort of RNG factor to it, but right now it's too RNG. In an ideal world, I would like to see a win guarantee you a Mark, with a loss potentially also granting you one based on the score (similarly to what they're doing with gear from BGs).

Comment by Tydfil

on 2016-10-19T18:32:44-05:00

soooo PvP gear is making a come back? well thats going to suck

Comment by FleckerMan

on 2016-10-19T19:25:00-05:00

soooo PvP gear is making a come back? well thats going to suck

No changes to how gear affects damage/healing in PvP - it's still got the 1% per 10 item levels or whatever it is...

Comment by Istaro

I don't think there are server-specific ilvl requirements for mythics. Each group made using the premade group finder can set a requirement, of course, but that means you can set whatever requirement you want for your own group (as long as it's not greater than your own ilvl).

Comment by KayArIEs

on 2016-10-19T22:33:30-05:00

Here's hoping Blizzard adds recolors of the Midnight and Emberwyrm mounts. My Death Knight could use some nice HD mounts...

Comment by Tribesne

on 2016-10-19T23:18:31-05:00

sigh I wish Blizz would get its act together on flying. Why add a flying mount this early in Legion when we haven't even been told when Broken Pathfinder part 2 will be released?

Comment by Shelassa

on 2016-10-19T23:21:10-05:00

Here's hoping Blizzard adds recolors of the Midnight and Emberwyrm mounts. My Death Knight could use some nice HD mounts...

Edit: In my opinion, the model of Prestigious Midnight Courser (or, rather, unarmored Tormented Shadowrunner to not take away from PvP) would have fit with Midnight better - horn and sleekness present in the original model and everything, just need to add the fangs.

Comment by Silmafarion

on 2016-10-20T00:28:43-05:00

Nightbane's former identity before he was captured by Medivh.

More like corrupted, but he was pretty much trapped in Karazhan after Medivh blasted him so I guess you could say 'captured'.

Comment by DarqThoros

on 2016-10-20T02:44:20-05:00

FYI I was hopeful to use these to get vanilla PvP transmog however after back and forth with GM's they have told me it is working as intended that these items are not xmog pieces. You still need feet of strength and to buy in area 52 for that epic all gold vanilla look :(

Comment by leduk

on 2016-10-20T03:18:40-05:00

Make your own group. It's as simple as that.

QFTYou can't deal with people's stupidity about the ridiculous ilvl they ask for, so, do your own group or apply in a nice guild (what I did). No other choice but hey, it's a mmo.Great changes for pvp coming here, stuff was too much random for the non-pve players.

Comment by kodora1316

I don't think there are server-specific ilvl requirements for mythics. Each group made using the premade group finder can set a requirement, of course, but that means you can set whatever requirement you want for your own group (as long as it's not greater than your own ilvl).

You misunderstood. It's just that people on server are jerks. I'm fully aware there is no server requirement for these.

Players expect group leaders to have experience and knowledge and to actually lead the group. Most players that you tell to form their own groups do not have this and are not going to be able to lead since they have yet to get into a group.

Players expect group leaders to have experience and knowledge and to actually lead the group. Most players that you tell to form their own groups do not have this and are not going to be able to lead since they have yet to get into a group.

So not true anymore.

I created a group for Court of Stars ilvl 840. Put in the description: first time through going slow. Formed a group easily. Didn't have to "lead" we killed stuff. If we wiped on a boss I linked the journal for that boss and cleared it. Whole dungeon done no problem.

If you're up front about being new to it it's amazing how understanding people can be. I have since done the same with Archway too...

Players expect group leaders to have experience and knowledge and to actually lead the group. Most players that you tell to form their own groups do not have this and are not going to be able to lead since they have yet to get into a group.

You can actually google the fights, and see on youtube. How would people even make groups if they'd never done it?

Comment by Aarkan

on 2016-10-20T09:49:59-05:00

I too was hoping they buffed Mark of Honor droprates. Somehow they made getting old pvp sets easier than ever and harder than ever all at once.